"80 years" for Taylor

Charles Taylor to be sentenced on the 30th of May for war crimes including rape and murder. The 64-year old was found guilty on 11 counts, including rape and murder, relating to the Sierra Leone civil war. Prosecutors in the trial of former Liberian president Charles Taylor have said he should be handed an 80-year sentence following his war crimes conviction in The Hague last week. During the 1991-2002 civil war Charles Taylor, who was president of neighbouring Liberia, backed Revolutionary United Front rebels who killed tens of thousands of people.

An 80-year sentence, the prosecutors claim, would reflect the severity of the crimes and the central role he had in facilitating them. After a five-year trial, Taylor became the first former head of state convicted by an international court since the Nuremberg trial of Nazis after World War II when he was found guilty last week.

A hearing is expected be held on 16 May, with the sentence to be on 30 May. Although Charles Taylor has a right to appeal against the conviction, he would be expected to serve his entire sentence in a British prison if he loses the appeal.